Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party and the primary Green MP in the House of Commons, has introduced her determination to not stand for re-election on the next basic election. In a letter to her Brighton Pavilion constituents, the 62-year-old MP expressed her gratitude for the chance to serve the community and highlighted the increasing urgency of environmental threats. Lucas admitted that her place as the Green Party’s solely MP restricted her ability to commit time to addressing these pressing points.
Lucas was first elected as MP for Brighton Pavilion in the 2010 common election, and her majority has grown in each subsequent election, reaching almost 20,000 in 2019. The Green Party commended her as a “force of nature” following her announcement.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer acknowledged, “Caroline’s impression on politics on this country can’t be overstated: she really is a pressure of nature and has been a rare servant of the folks of Brighton Pavilion as well as the Green Party. We are so happy with her achievements.”
Joint leader Adrian Ramsay added, “Very few politicians can claim to have modified the course of the nationwide debate in the way Caroline has. In record time has introduced so much to us as a celebration, shown actual integrity in her work and added a vital dimension to our democracy on this country.” He additionally mentioned the party’s goal to elect extra Green MPs within the next basic election to build upon Lucas’s accomplishments.
In her letter, Lucas defined that her dedication to being a good constituency MP prevented her from focusing as much as she would have favored on local weather considerations. She wrote, “I’ve done every little thing possible to assist wherever I can and always worked to make sure that folks feel heard, that their concerns matter, and that they aren’t alone.”